Letters to the Editor
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flaw in So's argument
I think So rushed to get this one out the door. She says that she doesn't think that government should interfere with how families run themselves.
But, isn't passing a law requiring parental notification increasing government interference? After all, the government is not currently trying to stop teenagers from telling their parents if they are planning to have an abortion.
One would hope that in most families, teens would be able to turn to their parents on an issue like this, but I think teenagers are old enough to make that decision for themselves.
This proposition is a solution in search of a problem. I don't have any fact and figures, but I strongly suspect that the number of teens who have abortions without involving their parents is fairly low. Plus, any place that a teenager goes to have an abortion would almost certainly provide counseling, and contrary to popular belief, I highly doubt that Planned Parenthood is going to try to push a teenager to have an abortion is she is having doubts about it.
It's hard to imagine who this proposition would benefit, especially given that there is a process for teens to get court permission to bypass the notification.
Rather than trying to make the government do their work for them, I suggest that any parent who is concerned about this issue sit down with their child and discuss it in advance and reassure them that if they got pregnant, they would stand by their side and help them make the decision that is best for them.